Main Street managers coming to Hendersonville's downtown

Published: Tuesday, August 20, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Monday, August 19, 2013 at 6:25 p.m.

A group of about 65 Main Street managers from across the state will migrate to Hendersonville this week for a three-day N.C. Main Street seminar, highlighting some of the city’s achievements downtown.

The N.C. Main Street Center, an agency within the state Department of Commerce’s Division of Community Assistance, conducts two annual training sessions each year for Main Street leaders. The late-summer to early-fall workshops are held in a Western North Carolina city, but it has been several years since Hendersonville — a Main Street city since 1986 — hosted the workshops.

It is an honor, said Historic Downtown Hendersonville Director Lew Holloway.

“I think part of the reason we were chosen this year was the work on downtown that we’ve been undertaking over the last few years... They want them to see that and the impact it’s had here,” he added.

The city’s fundraising bears scattered throughout Main Street are sure to get another mention in the workshop’s “leveraging heritage tour” session later in the week.

Guest speakers and staff of the N.C. Main Street Center will conduct training sessions Wednesday through Friday. Holloway said some guests may be coming in early and staying through the weekend to absorb the city and what it has to offer, staying in local hotels and bed and breakfast inns.

“We’re an attractive destination,” Holloway said. “I’m excited to show off all the good work we’ve been doing.”

The training sessions will be targeted toward professional staff, coaching managers on how to balance schedules and work with committees and volunteers to avoid burning out. The seminar will note upcoming conferences in the state that will provide more training opportunities for staff and will give tips on design, charitable solicitation licensing and measuring the economic impact of programs.

The N.C. Main Street Center is studying the economic impacts the Main Street Program has had on the state since its inception in 1980. Guest speaker Donovan Ripkama, who is leading the study, will share tips with the crowd about how managers can use that same sort of knowledge in their own programs.

Ripkama of Place Economics has been focused on historic preservation as a driver of economic development — an idea that marries well with the Main Street Center’s goal of restoring downtowns with history in mind.

<p>A group of about 65 Main Street managers from across the state will migrate to Hendersonville this week for a three-day N.C. Main Street seminar, highlighting some of the city's achievements downtown.</p><p>The N.C. Main Street Center, an agency within the state Department of Commerce's Division of Community Assistance, conducts two annual training sessions each year for Main Street leaders. The late-summer to early-fall workshops are held in a Western North Carolina city, but it has been several years since Hendersonville — a Main Street city since 1986 — hosted the workshops.</p><p>It is an honor, said Historic Downtown Hendersonville Director Lew Holloway. </p><p>“I think part of the reason we were chosen this year was the work on downtown that we've been undertaking over the last few years... They want them to see that and the impact it's had here,” he added. </p><p>The city's fundraising bears scattered throughout Main Street are sure to get another mention in the workshop's “leveraging heritage tour” session later in the week.</p><p>Guest speakers and staff of the N.C. Main Street Center will conduct training sessions Wednesday through Friday. Holloway said some guests may be coming in early and staying through the weekend to absorb the city and what it has to offer, staying in local hotels and bed and breakfast inns.</p><p>“We're an attractive destination,” Holloway said. “I'm excited to show off all the good work we've been doing.”</p><p>The training sessions will be targeted toward professional staff, coaching managers on how to balance schedules and work with committees and volunteers to avoid burning out. The seminar will note upcoming conferences in the state that will provide more training opportunities for staff and will give tips on design, charitable solicitation licensing and measuring the economic impact of programs.</p><p>The N.C. Main Street Center is studying the economic impacts the Main Street Program has had on the state since its inception in 1980. Guest speaker Donovan Ripkama, who is leading the study, will share tips with the crowd about how managers can use that same sort of knowledge in their own programs.</p><p>Ripkama of Place Economics has been focused on historic preservation as a driver of economic development — an idea that marries well with the Main Street Center's goal of restoring downtowns with history in mind.</p><p>Reach Weaver at emily.weaver@blueridgenow.com or 828-694-7867.</p>